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⇒ TA Sidewalk Café
11:34am

"What do you mean you like him? You've never even spoken to him," Jeongin teased, nibbling on the straw leading to the almost empty bottom of the cup that held his iced coffee. "I don't understand your judgment sometimes, honestly. He literally lives next door to you, so why not just say hello? Send over some cookies or something."

"Jeongin I just moved in... he'll think I'm a creep or... some serial killer," Hyunjin sighed, tucking a few loose strands to the back of his ear. "And, to make things worse, he's practically obsessed with 3racha. And I know because he blasts their music at all hours... it's irritating sometimes- all the time."

Almost choking on the watery sips of the remainder of his drink, Jeongin rested a hand over his mouth, eyebrows lifting with the shaking of his head before his verbal response. "Well that one's a no-no," he slurped at the empty cup again, swearing when the plastic only echoed while trying to send up whatever droplets of the iced coffee were left. "That one- he's gone already. You better set your eyes on someone else quick."

"I think- I think I'll talk to him," Hyunjin exhaled loudly as he spoke, chewing anxiously against his lower lip while his eyes remained focused to one point on the shared table. "Next time we walk by each other or something... I'll say hello... get to know his name... become friends, at least."

"You're literally going against everything that I say," Jeongin chuckled, leaning his arms further down the glass surface. "When I said to talk to him, you didn't want to. And now I'm advising you not to, you want to. Maybe I should tell you to talk to him again."

Glancing around at the unfamiliar faces seated at various tables in groups and singles, Hyunjin thinned an awkward smile, eyes idly trailing up to the red umbrella shielding them from the scorching mid-morning sun before looking down at his thighs. "I came to Seoul for a new life, Innie. And you're the only friend I have here. I see no issue in befriending one neighbor whether I like him or not- I'm not chasing love anyways. It would just be really fortunate if, you know, he is into guys."

"Just be careful," Jeongin nodded with his words, running his tongue over his top lip. "You don't wanna come off too strong and make him uncomfortable. And talk to me before making any big decisions please?"

Smiling softly, Hyunjin locked eyes with the younger again, plump lips exposing the defined curves of his front teeth. "I'll be careful, Innie. And of course, I'll keep you updated."

-

⇒ N/S Corner Store
10:55pm

Fingers hovering hesitantly over his keyboard, Felix took a deep breath before pressing patterned keys along the device, eyes effortlessly stuck onto the improper sentence forming in the search bar. "I shouldn't," he muttered a few seconds before pressing the enter key, closing his eyes in thought and glancing to the entrance of the shop to ensure that nobody was on their way in. "Just one picture, Felix. Just one glimpse, and then leave."

Sucking in one more breath, the blonde read over the three words he had tentatively typed in, closing his eyes before harshly pressing on the enter key. Slowly opening one eye to view the sensual results from the search "3racha CB97 abs," the boy cupped one hand over his mouth, the other eye fluttering open, and his heart beating guilty yet satisfactorily against his chest.

He scrolled through a few photos, almost drooling at the intricate detail in the toning of his own boyfriend's torso, and chest stinging slightly at the realization that such masterpiece that was now his, was so easily accessible by anyone who desired. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath, eyes too glued on the seemingly endless online gallery to hear the high-pitched "ding" at the front door as well as a low "Good night Lixie."

Reaching a hand to touch the bright screen, Felix spread a small smirk, a short huff of breath escaping his nostrils with the low sound of a giggle. "Maybe my decision to say yes wasn't so bad after all-"

"Felix?" Chan sang for the fourth time, the lack of answer and immense focus of his boyfriend to the unknown information on the screen on the counter urging him to lean over and see for himself. "What has my baby so- what? Felix? What're you watching?" The male furrowed his brows with utter confusion and disappointment, the angle of his position as well as the picture on the screen making it almost impossible to realize that it was his carved skin highlighting the frame.

Flinching when the warm breath hardly hit the side of his face, Felix slammed the laptop closed, eyes widened and gazing blankly at one direction, lips curved downwards, and cheeks growing redder by the second. Cold sweat flooded the blonde's palms as he retreated them from the metal casing, and his head started to hurt from the level of anxiety coursing his veins with each forceful beat against his chest. He gulped before looking up and sideways, the piercing gaze of his boyfriend behind the counter making the task of speaking up more challenging than it already was.

"Felix, do you care to explain what you were just watching?" Chan clenched his jaw, just the thought of his boyfriend lusting over the body of another man masking his emotions with pure anger. And it didn't make sense, actually, because it wasn't even part of his plan to fall in so deep with the young cashier. According to his earlier mindset at least, he was just supposed to gain the boy's trust, have sex, and then leave.

But he had already gained his trust, maybe even too much, and still went to the extent of developing a relationship that not even he would want to demolish just like that, yet they still didn't do anything sexual. Maybe Chan could say he even loved Felix, but probably that was just a reflexive, basic feeling that one would get after dating someone for roughly a month and a half. Well at least that's what he thought- that's what he figured could justify his sudden level of possessiveness and jealousy.

Seeing the obvious embarrassment growing in his boyfriend's face, Chan spoke up again, "Care to explain why you were so focused on some half-naked guy? What the fuck, Lix?"

Finally being able to lock eyes with the older after hearing such a comment that indicated that Chan had genuinely misunderstood the action, Felix tilted his head to the side, a low chuckle bypassing his cracked lips. "Just a guy?" He hesitated before continuing, but after comparing the outcome of a jealous, ignorant boyfriend and simply confessing his deed, he decided on the most rational decision despite the large amounts of shame it would come with. "T-that guy was you, Chan. Why would I just be watching some random guy?"

Cocking his head to the side, Chan relaxed his jaws, lips pulling back into a boastful smile, elbows relaxing along the wooden surface of the counter. "You were looking at pictures... of my abs?" He questioned sensually, tone ostentatious but still attractive to the latter. "May I ask why you were looking at photos of my abs, Felix?"

Already regretting his honest decision, Felix looked away again, nipping at his lower lip and dragging a hand over his face. "Can't we just... pretend this never happened?" He looked up, shivering at Chan's unmoving stare on his small frame, the silence practically wringing another, more definite answer out of him. "I just- I wondered what they looked like- I'll not do it again I prom-"

"Why look up pictures of your boyfriend's abs when you see, and hug, and kiss your boyfriend almost every day," Chan spoke even more erotically, dimples showing at their full depths at either side of those plump, parted lips. "If you wanna see my abs, all you have to do is ask."

At that point, Felix practically mirrored a tomato, and the blonde strands that rebelled staying up in his low ponytail only added to the contrast of the bright color as they hung near either side of his face. "C-Chan," he coughed up, digging his face into both hands. "Let's just forget this ever happened."

"Mhm? Do you really want that?" The older chuckled at how flustered just his speeches could make the blonde boy become before leaning off of the counter with a stretch and yawn, crosschecking the time on his watch before speaking again. "We'll see how that goes~"

-

⇒ District 9, Seoul, South Korea
11:45pm

"I said I don't want to use it!"

"My god! For fuck's sake Yeona just show me where the pack of condoms are or else we won't do shit!" Minho shouted at the pouting female on the bed, and in all honesty, he really was not in the mood for anything sexual with his wife, but declining such persistent and somewhat tempting advances whether he was furious or not was not always the easiest task. "I don't want to have sex with you without a condom! Since when do you even like going without protection? Even you said that we can't take care of a child right now."

Rolling her hazel irises to the back of her head, Yeona narrowed her eyes at her husband, her plump, unblemished bottom lip trapped in between her braceless, impressively white teeth while her tongue licked off some of the cherry lipgloss she had worn in hope to impress her husband. "Minho you're acting as if either of us has an STD. We've been married for two whole years, so I don't get why you act as if condoms are your medication or something. You're making me feel bad," she looked down, a genuine sniffle sounding from her nostrils.

Her slim arms found their way over her chest although a laced bra attempted to do the majority of the covering, and her sylphlike thighs reflexively closed in until they were securely stuck to each other. She sniffled again, this time with a tear before climbing off of the bed and padding her way to the bathroom.

The air condition in their room had suddenly felt too cold, and the full space suddenly felt too open. Her own husband suddenly felt like a mere stranger breeding unknown, disgraceful thoughts of her half-naked body in his mind, and her own clean, modest private parts felt dirty- contaminated.

Minho, made her feel that way. Because he always wanted to use protection no matter how she would beg for him not to- no matter if she went on birth control and showed proof, he always claimed that he wanted his own proof. And she'd guessed it'd be okay if he did that once, twice, hell maybe even ten times, but her husband did it all the time. Her husband left her alone at night all the time, probably thinking that she never felt the dip even out against their matrimonial mattress.

Unloosing her long, healthy brown strands from the rubber band that barely held them together, Yeona looked at herself in the mirror, wiping off a few tears from her flushed cheeks. "You're better than this," she mumbled with a low hiccup, yet blindly resilient love still dominated her senses and reasoning. "He's your husband. Be considerate," were the two lines of stupidity she muttered before pulling the box of condoms out from behind of the toilet, a small, ignorant smile replacing the frown on her lips. "I love him."

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| Hwang Hyunjin | 21 years old |
❝You're not obligated to choose me, Felix. Follow your heart... I'll find someone one day.❞